RFP Evaluation Report
The Mexican-origin population in the United States is growing at an extraordinary rate through both migration and high U.S. birth rates. In 2002, 9.9 million people living in the U.S. were born in Mexico. In California, people of Mexican origin represent 72% of the Latino population, and 24% of the state’s 35 million residents. From 2000 to 2003, the U.S. Latino population increased by 13%, representing not only the fastest-growing population, but also now the second-largest race or ethnic minority in the United States. This rapid population and migration growth calls for policymakers and federal and state institutions to do more to address the needs and concerns of the Mexican-origin population. Specifically, to better accommodate this expanding population of Mexican migrants, immigrants, and their children, the U.S. health care infrastructure needs radical adjustments.
RFP EvaluationEvidence suggests that there is a trend of health deterioration as Mexican migrant populations takes residence in and acculturates to the United States. For the Mexican-origin population, limited access to health care is an especially critical issue and contributes to this decline in health capital. In 2000, over one-quarter of adult Mexican immigrants had not seen a doctor in the previous two years; about four times the non-Hispanic white rate. Between 1998 and 2001, two-thirds of Mexican immigrant children did not have health insurance. These figures indicate that preventive health care, access to health services, health education, and culturally competent health providers must be readily available to this population, particularly for the poorest and those who are most underserved.
Likewise in Mexico: migration and its health implications deserve special attention. The migration phenomenon challenges current Mexican health service provision paradigms and the allocation of resources, and ought to spur further research in the limited field of migration and health. Public health care delivery in Mexico also needs to change if there is to be a reversal in the present trend of declining health capital for the Mexican migrant population in the United States.
In 2002, key research and funding institutions recognized that the health of Mexican migrants and immigrants is a bilateral responsibility given that this population makes major contributions to the economic and social development of both the United States and Mexico. These institutions also grasped that in order to best assess and address the unmet health needs of this population through public policy, more research must be conducted in the under-developed field of health and migration on a binational level. At present, there exist significant amounts of research that focus on either migration or Latino health. However, studies that bring together these two themes and concentrate on their intersections
are rare.
Subsequently in 2003, this contingent of sponsoring institutions launched the annual Special Call for Proposals on Migration and Health Issues in Mexico and California Call for Proposals to provide seed funds for binational research on migration and health, with the ultimate goal of creating a binational network of researchers and institutions that can inform policy decisions on health issues related to migration.
While only the first Call for Proposals grant cycle is complete, it has already had an impact on public policy, academia, and community health. Through its working principles and its commissioned projects, the Call for Proposals has contributed toward achieving several binational objectives:
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Promoting U.S.-Mexico collaborations.
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Affecting public policy development. Preliminary research results have influenced public policy agendas in the U.S. and Mexico, especially through one-on-one meetings with legislative staff and representatives of federal, state, and international agencies operating in both countries.
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Addressing research gaps in migration and health issue areas.
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Constructing a binational network of researchers and institutions that includes research centers of Mexican states distinguished by high international mobility. This network will ensure that research on migration and health will be sustained and expanded.
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Leveraging additional funding for research from foundations and national research institutions.
Most importantly, the Call for Proposals has established that migrant and immigrant health is a responsibility of both the United States and Mexico. Apart from the social and cultural contributions that people of Mexican origin bring, the United States also depends upon the economic contributions of people of Mexican origin. Likewise, due to linkages with their communities of origin in Mexico, Mexico’s Secretariat of Health strives to have a healthy Mexican community regardless of where they live. Since public health is a policy concern shared by both countries, it becomes an arena where bilateral agreements are possible
In light of the research and programmatic successes outlined in this report and the major increase of migrants and immigrants of Mexican origin in the U.S. without a corresponding increase in research and resources devoted to health care for them, our main recommendation is that the Call for Proposals be extended to researchers nationwide. This will require the involvement of federal agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health, and foundations that work nationwide. This expansion will enable researchers from other first-rate institutions, particularly ones located in states with high rates of migration, to pursue studies on migration and health issues.
Binational Health Week
This year, the Ninth BHW will take place October 3-15, 2009 in 40 states in the U.S. and 3 provinces in Canada, with the participation of the consular networks of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Additionally, during BHW five national campaigns will be implemented to promote awareness among the underserved Latino community on H1N1 Influenza, Prevention of Addictions, Nutrition, Prevention of Strokes, and Living Green.
More information about BHW events